Rapper Nics Music is Far From the Normal Vibes You Get, But That’s What We Need.
UK Rapper Nics is Grime's newest sensation.
Rap’s impact on the sound and direction of music is something no one saw coming. What’s even more special is seeing how it’s morphed and adapted, especially with the response that the UK Drill movement has garnered worldwide. Almost overnight, acts like Central Cee and Digga D have become some of rap’s biggest acts, enlarging their own personal star and the UK’s rap scene.
Grime still holds a significant place in rap fans’ hearts and just below the surface are a few artists whose lyrics and aesthetics still embody rap’s legacy. Rapper Nics, who hails from the North London neighborhood of Tottenham, represents a perfect blend of talent and branding. Riding off the fame of his recent single, “Normal”, he’s here to show his skill and convince critics he’s far from normal.
“Growing up in North London, you have your bad areas, which is how London is. But I was the kid that got along with everyone and everyone respected I was on the vibe of music even at age seven, says Nics.
As a child, Nics followed his father to the studio and began writing songs while learning the basics of the piano. Focused at an early age on music, Nics spent his youth loving music, dabbling in talent shows as a teenager before performing around London doing shows as an emcee.
As a teenager, he began taking rap seriously, even trying his hand at production and engineering. “In year eight, I remember showing my music teacher and brethren my songs and their response made me write more. After performing at other venues, I realized I was becoming my own fan, says Nics.
London’s distinctive rap culture, which includes the city’s Nike Air Max and tracksuit fashion, appealed to him and became one of the major influences in Nics music. Nics acknowledges the influence of American rap, but points to UK artists like P Money, Chip, Little Simz, and Wretch 32 as being his major influences. Their emphasis on punchlines and imagery served as a guiding light for his music.
“Listening to all of them, it was like I can relate to the subtle references they made as opposed to American rap. I feel like the UK music hit me a little differently.”
Inspired to pursue music, Nics’ mother and music teacher recommended he apply to the prestigious BRIT School. After auditioning and then appealing for admission, Nics got in and began working on his craft. The school’s alumni include artists like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Marsha Ambrosius and more, which intimidated Nics, who thought to lead with his piano skills rather than embrace his rapping ability.
He discussed the dilemma, stating “I thought piano would be the thing at first because I couldn’t see how I could maneuver into the rap scene, eventually. But getting into the BRIT school was helpful because they allowed me to do what I prefer. I learned so much though from contracts, dealing with the industry and even live show tactics.”
While in school, Nics began releasing music on the popular platform, SoundCloud, doing one-minute songs which he called Minute Massacres.
“I made one-minute songs figuring they’d have a replay value. I hit up producers for random beats and then I started building a bubble after about seven to eight of them.
From there, I released music, says Nics. His song, “Catch a Vibe”, released in 2019, was Nics’ first respectable single.
Slowly but surely Nics’ name began growing, but growing a consistent fanbase was tough for Nics at first. His insistence on putting out songs inconsistently proved to be an issue, but over time, Nics’ output of songs picked up, as did his audience.
“During 2020, my brother told me I was only releasing once a year and asked me how anyone would find me. Throughout 2020 I got most of my audience by releasing a lot of my music and doing more Grime sets around the city like Radar Radio.”
Accompanying his music with sharp visuals like “Hot Stepping” helped increase Nics’ reach and appealed to rap fans who were hungry for lyrics and creative videos.
Nics’ career hit his fever pitch in 2022 when Normal came out. Originally intended to be an Instagram freestyle, Nics’ brother KB, who also serves as his manager, convinced him to complete the song and release it. The video, which has a little over 5,900 views, is one of his crown moments and shows how spontaneous Nics’ movement has been. If anything, it’s a sign of what’s to come.